Department for Transport

Railways: Fares

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average real-terms change in the cost of railway tickets has been since 2010; and what plans he has to make travel by railway more affordable.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Office of Road and Rail publishes information on average changes in rail fares by sector and ticket category on their website: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/finance/rail-fares/table-7180-average-change-in-fares-by-regulated-and-unregulated-tickets/. Currently, there are a number of railcards available that offer discounts against most rail fares. Most recently we launched the Veterans’ Railcard, which extended military veterans cut-price train travel. We are pleased to celebrate the first anniversary of the Veterans’ railcard launch in November 2021.

Travel: Finance

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether overwhelming public opposition expressed through a consultation exercise is considered sufficient grounds for a local authority to decide not to progress with a scheme developed under the Emergency Active Travel Fund.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department has consistently made clear that local authorities should seek the views of a representative sample of the local population as a whole on their proposals and provided guidance on how best to do this, including via polling and public opinion surveys, which can help provide a more accurate understanding of public views than a traditional consultation exercise. Local authorities do not need to show that schemes are universally popular at the time of introduction, but should be prepared to make changes if there is strong evidence that their original proposals are unsuitable. The views of the local Member of Parliament should also be taken into account. We have revised our Network Management Duty guidance to state that measures should be "taken as swiftly as possible, but not at the expense of consulting local communities" and that "local residents and businesses should... be given an opportunity to comment on proposed changes" to schemes. Please note these requirements also apply as much to the removal or modification of existing schemes as to the installation of new ones.

Low Emission Zones: Greater London

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department’s recent funding agreement with Transport for London required the Mayor of London to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Trudy Harrison: Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). The decision to expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was made by the Mayor in June 2018. The Government has provided over £4bn to keep London’s transport system moving through the pandemic. These funding agreements move TfL towards a financially sustainable future in a way that is fair to national taxpayers. The latest TfL funding deal did not require the Mayor to implement the expanded ULEZ. It was however clear that any change to the Mayor’s existing plans would have to be paid for without recourse to Government funding.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) roads are adequately maintained and (b) potholes are fixed promptly.

Trudy Harrison: The Department is providing over £5 billion of investment for highways maintenance to eligible local highways authorities in England, outside of London, over this Parliament. Well-planned maintenance to prevent potholes and other defects from forming in the first place is vital, and the Department advocates a risk-based, whole life-cycle asset management approach to all aspects of the local highway network. To assist local authorities in treating potholes and other road defects, the Department worked with the Association of Directors, for Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) to publish Potholes: a repair guide.

Driving Licences: Reciprocal Arrangements

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on expanding the list of designated countries where an exchange agreement is in place for recognition of driving licences.

Trudy Harrison: On 20 May 2021, legislation was introduced to designate specified driving licences issued in the Cayman Islands, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and North Macedonia for exchange in GB. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is currently dealing with requests for reciprocal driving licence exchange agreements from Malaysia, Serbia and Sri Lanka and continues to work with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office to identify further opportunities.The DVLA has also been in contact with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators to gauge interest in reciprocal licence exchange arrangements among US licensing authorities.

Transport: Electricity

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of electricity that will be required to fuel transport in the UK in the years (a) 2025, (b) 2030, (c) 2035 and (d) 2040.

Trudy Harrison: As part of BEIS annually published Energy and Emissions Projections a breakdown is given of the final energy demand for electricity for each sector including transport, for all years up to 2040 (see ‘Annex F: Final energy demand’ of each publication). The annual projections include only firm and funded policy, and over time will include the measures set out in the recent Transport Decarbonisation Plan and Net Zero Strategy as they progress to impact assessment stage. As part of the Net Zero Strategy BEIS have considered the electricity demand from all sectors including transport for the delivery pathway up to 2037 (see Figure 14), to ensure that power supply can meet expected demand across the whole economy, while delivering net zero and carbon budgets.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Housing: Insulation

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to help make it easier for people with homes without cavity walls to achieve an EPC rating of C or higher.

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government plans to take to help make it easier for people with homes in conservation areas to achieve an EPC rating of C or higher.

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the position where owners of flats in old buildings may need to install (a) gas central heating or (b) storage radiators which require sub-main cabling to meet the EPC rating of C in the most cost-effective way.

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the position that homes built prior to 1920, which could be double glazed, and unlikely to have cavity walls would require gas central heating to reach an EPC rating of C.

Greg Hands: The Government’s ambition is for as many homes as possible reach EPC Band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. The UK has already made good progress in improving the energy performance of its homes, with 40% of homes in England now at Energy Performance Ratings (EPC) Band C or above, up from just 9% in 2008. In order to support further improvements to homes, the Government is:Consulting on phasing in higher minimum performance standards to ensure all homes meet EPC Band C by 2035, where cost-effective, practical and affordable. In setting standards, BEIS is taking account of where properties face practical constraints to making improvements. For example, in the Private Rented Sector minimum standard regulations, there is already a range of exemptions where necessary consent for improvements cannot be obtained from third parties, where particular measures may have a negative impact on a property, or where all recommended measures have been carried out.Providing further targeted funding for improvements, focussed in particular on fuel poor and low-income households. The Government’s Heat and Building Strategy announced £3.9 billion of new funding which will fund the next three years of investment through Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the Home Upgrade Grant scheme, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and the Heat Networks Transformation Programme.Supporting consumer action through, for example:Providing tailored advice and information to homeowners on making improvements to their properties, through our Simple Energy Advice service which has been used by over 1.5 million users to date;Ensuring work can be carried out to a good standard, by working with industry to agree appropriate technical standards (eg. PAS 2035) and consumer protections through Trustmark registration;Catalysing low-cost green home finance to help homeowners make improvements by working with lenders, and through innovation funding for new green finance products.

Heat Pumps: Skilled Workers

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the guidance of 16 February 2021, entitled Apply for free or subsidised training under the BEIS Skills Training Competition scheme and the 700 places available at BESA Academy for online or in person training for currently qualified plumbing and heating engineers to correctly install and maintain domestic heat pumps, available from early March until 30 September 2021, how many plumbing and heating engineers signed up and completed that training.

Paul Scully: Seven hundred.

ACAS

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) promote awareness of the services offered by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACSA) and (b) ensure ACAS is easily contactable.

Paul Scully: The Department has worked closely with Acas to promote their services through awareness campaigns, including a joint campaign on social media and radio aimed at vulnerable workers and recently publicising the launch of Acas’s disability hub on their website. Additionally, BEIS funds Acas to provide support and guidance on workplace matters, which any member of the public can access through its website and by contacting their helpline between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Training: Finance

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the guidance of 16 February 2021, entitled Apply for free or subsidised training under the BEIS Skills Training Competition scheme, how many of the 100 funded places which were available at The Green Register's retrofit training, have been taken up.

Greg Hands: As of 30th September 2021, 34 trainees have started training, of whom 23 trainees have completed the Green Register’s retrofit training.

Biofuels: Power Stations

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the age bands of trees used to produce wood pellets for biomass power stations in (a) the UK and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Greg Hands: The UK only supports biomass which complies with strict sustainability criteria and generators only receive subsidies for compliant biomass.

Biofuels: Subsidies

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in context of biomass fuel, what scientific advice his Department received when deciding that only 70 per cent of wood pellets would need to come from sustainable forests to qualify for renewable subsidies.

Greg Hands: The Government only supports sustainable biomass and generators only receive subsidies for compliant biomass. All biomass must be legally harvested in accordance with national legislation of the sourcing country. Generators are required to demonstrate that at least 70% of all biomass must be sustainable. In developing the new Biomass Strategy, the Government will assess the UK’s existing biomass sustainability standards, which are already some of the world’s most stringent, to see where and how they can be improved even further.

Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the costs that will be incurred from projects to be supported by the Nuclear Energy (Finance) Bill.

Greg Hands: Nuclear power is an important part of an affordable, low carbon electricity system which is better protected against the volatility of global gas prices. Under the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) funding model enabled by the Nuclear Energy (Finance) Bill, consumers would pay an allowed revenue during the construction period of a new nuclear project, which would be an average of less than £1 a month on a typical dual fuel energy bill. However, we estimate that use of the RAB model will lower the cost of capital and ultimately save consumers more than £30bn on their bills for each new large-scale station, compared with existing funding mechanisms. The Bill’s impact assessment is available here. Granting a RAB licence would also be contingent on a project satisfying a detailed value for money assessment.

Re-employment

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish expanded guidance for employers on the practice of fire and rehire; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: This Government has been consistently clear that we do not accept the inappropriate use by some employers of fire and rehire as a negotiation tactic. Earlier this year we asked Acas to produce more comprehensive, clearer guidance to help all employers explore all the options before considering ‘fire and rehire’ and encourage good employment relations practice. Acas will publish the guidance shortly.

Re-employment

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what communication his Department has had with (a) private companies and (b) public sector employers with the purpose of dissuading them from engaging in the practice of fire and rehire; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: The Government has made clear to all employers, including those in the private and public sector, that using threats to ‘fire and rehire’ as a tactic to pressure workers during negotiations is unacceptable. We have been consistent in telling employers that the use of firing and rehiring tactics in negotiations is unacceptable. I made a statement in the House in June urging employers to negotiate fairly and openly. Earlier this year we asked Acas to produce more comprehensive, clearer guidance to help make our expectations clearer. It will set out the ways employers can explore all the options before considering ‘fire and rehire’ and encourage good employment relations practice.

Conditions of Employment: Re-employment

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the existing statutory protections of workers in relation to the practice of fire and rehire; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: This Government has been consistently clear that we do not accept the inappropriate use by some employers of fire and rehire as a negotiation tactic. The valid variation of contractually binding terms and conditions usually depends upon mutual agreement between the employer and worker as parties to the contract. Should an employer seek to enforce contractual variation without agreement, there are a number of legal obligations and protections they will need to comply with, depending on the circumstances. Where a business feels that redundancies must be made, they must follow the rules which include giving a notice period and consulting staff before a final decision is reached.

Re-employment: Coronavirus

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) private companies and (b) public sector employers who have engaged in the practice of fire and rehire since the start of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the total monetary value of reductions to previously agreed terms and conditions arising from the practice of fire and rehire on (a) wages, (b) holiday pay, (c) maternity leave and (d) pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: The Department asked Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) to conduct an evidence gathering exercise to learn more about the use of fire and rehire practices. This report was published on 8 June and is available from https://www.acas.org.uk/fire-and-rehire-report. In addition, the Department has also welcomed further evidence from trade unions and employers on the nature and scale of the issue. The Government has been consistently clear that we do not accept the inappropriate use by some employers of fire and rehire as a negotiation tactic. Earlier this year we asked Acas to produce more comprehensive, clearer guidance to help all employers explore all the options before considering ‘fire and rehire’ and encourage good employment relations practice. Acas will publish the guidance shortly.

Natural Gas: Energy Supply

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential (a) economic and (b) environmental effects of relying on gas as a transition source of energy.

Greg Hands: The Government has published a comprehensive Net Zero Strategy, which outlines measures to transition to a green and sustainable future, helping businesses and consumers to move to clean power. The Government is taking a range of steps to decarbonise gas and to develop alternatives to unabated gas-fired generation in the electricity system, including CCUS-enabled generation, hydrogen-fired generation, BECCS, and flexible storage, which means that gas generation will be used less frequently in the future (except in limited circumstances where it may be required to provide security of supply).

Energy Supply

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that any future increase in electricity demand is met with energy produced in a renewable manner.

Greg Hands: The Net Zero Strategy reaffirmed the UK’s ambitious target to deliver 40GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, including 1GW of floating offshore wind, alongside the expansion of other low-cost renewable technologies such as onshore wind and solar. We have also set out the biggest ever Contracts for Difference round – the UK's main support mechanism for large-scale renewable generation –representing a major step towards the sustained growth in renewables needed over the next decade to meet the UK’s decarbonisation ambitions.

Natural Gas: Prices

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the volatility in gas prices on the UK's (a) energy security and (b) transition to renewable resources.

Greg Hands: Higher wholesale gas prices have been seen globally in 2021 due to multiple international factors in supply and demand. The UK has highly diverse sources of gas supply and a diverse electricity mix, which ensures households, businesses, and heavy industry get the energy they need. National Grid Gas’s Winter Outlook notes the supply margin has increased compared to last winter and is sufficient in all of their modelled scenarios. Similarly, National Grid Electricity System Operator’s 2021 Winter Outlook Report confirms that there will be sufficient capacity available for the coming winter. The Government has published a comprehensive Net Zero Strategy, which outlines measures to transition to a green and sustainable future, helping businesses and consumers to move to clean power, so that households and businesses will be much better protected from energy price spikes caused by volatile international fuel markets.

Fossil Fuels: Carbon Emissions

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the contribution of fossil-fuel reliant companies to the UK’s transition to net zero; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those companies contribute to the costs of managing pollution, with reference to public debt.

Greg Hands: As set out in the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, the costs of net zero must be shared fairly between the taxpayer, industry and its customers. HM Treasury’s Net Zero Review considers the potential exposure of businesses and households to the transition, and highlights factors to be taken into account when designing policy that will allocate costs over this time horizon. The Government has already established a UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) which demonstrates the UK’s commitment to carbon pricing as an effective tool that will help fulfil our climate change objectives. The UK ETS will be the world’s first net zero cap and trade market, delivering a robust carbon price signal and promoting cost-effective decarbonisation by allowing businesses to cut carbon where it is cheapest to do so.

Oil: Shetland Islands

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to (a) prevent the development of the Cambo oil field and (b) support oil and gas workers and communities in the transition towards renewable energy.

Greg Hands: Development proposals for fields with existing licences, such as Cambo, are subject to a rigorous scrutiny process prior to consent by the independent Oil and Gas Authority, as well as an environmental impact assessment and a public consultation by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning. This Government’s landmark North Sea Transition Deal – the first of its kind in the world – will support oil and gas workers in the green transition.

Small Businesses: Training

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2021 to Question 21917 on Small Businesses: Advisory Services, what the (a) national and (b) regional breakdown is of people who have completed the Small Business Leadership Programme.

Paul Scully: Evaluation on completions is ongoing. [1]Completion data will differ as some participants may not complete the programme.RegionCount%West Midlands51117%South East42714%North West42114%East Midlands37913%South West36912%Yorkshire & Humber36812%London2067%North East1655%East of England1365%No response231%Total3005100% [1] SBLP Evaluation partner analysis, 2021

Small Businesses: Training

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of  July 2021 to Question 21917 on Small Businesses: Advisory Services, how many (a) women, (b) men, and (c) BAME people have completed the Small Business Leadership Programme.

Paul Scully: Evaluation on completions is ongoing and is scheduled for the end of December. Across England, 3,005 participants enrolled onto the Small Business Leadership Programme between October 2020 and June 2021: 1170 participants (39%) were women and 1771 (59%) were men. Approximately 15% of participants (456) are considered to be from a BAME background. [1]Completion data will differ as some participants may not complete the programme. [1]SBLP Evaluation partner analysis, 2020.

Business: Evictions

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government’s press release on 16 June 2021 entitled Eviction protection extended for businesses most in need, what plans the Government for a binding arbitration process between commercial tenants and landlords.

Paul Scully: The Government will shortly introduce legislation to support landlords and tenants resolve disputes relating to rent owed as a result of premises having been closed or having had business restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation will ringfence rent debt accrued during the pandemic by businesses affected by enforced closures and set out a process of binding arbitration to be undertaken between landlords and tenants. This is to be used as a last resort, after bilateral negotiations have been undertaken and only where landlords and tenants cannot otherwise come to a resolution. This will help the economy to return to normal as quickly as possible while protecting viable jobs and businesses.

Toilet Paper: Shortages

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of potential retail shortages of household tissue and toilet paper over winter 2021-22; and what discussions he has had with suppliers and retailers on those potential shortages.

Paul Scully: The Government recognises that as the global economy has rebounded from the pandemic, we have seen pressures placed on supply chains across sectors. We have taken quick and decisive action to ease these pressures where required including establishing a Supply Chain Advisory Group and Industry Taskforce, which provides a link between business and government to identify causes of supply chain issues and pre-empt future issues. Industry attendees are drawn from a range of sectors including the British Retail Consortium. Additionally, the Department engages at both Ministerial and official level on a range of issues affecting the retail sector including the availability of goods.

Department of Health and Social Care

Surgery

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to include data on operations cancelled or postponed for non-clinical reasons by NHS Trusts according to specialty when the publication of the Cancelled Elective Operations dataset is resumed.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Parents: Advisory Services

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which areas will benefit from the transformation of Start for Life and family help services in half of the local authority areas across England; and whether the Government plans for that commitment to be rolled out across all local authorities.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pre-school Education

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for who will deliver early years services, including perinatal mental health support, breastfeeding services and parenting programmes.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Surgery

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when data collection for the Cancelled Elective Operations dataset will be resumed for inclusion in planned publication of the quarter 3 2021-22 data set in 2022.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) range and (b) variety of HRT products available to patients through the NHS.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Shortages

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to tackle supply issues surrounding HRT products.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Influenza: Disease Control

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 28 October 2021 to Questions 62622 and 62623, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing (a) community testing, (b) point-of-care testing and (c) wider antiviral treatment into the flu pathway.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Patient Safety Commissioner

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to report the findings of the consultation on the appointment and operation of the Patient Safety Commissioner.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Diabetes: Blood Tests

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of blood tests being administrated for patients with diabetes by NHS England.

Maria Caulfield: No formal assessment has been made.However, the National Diabetes Audit provides data on completion of key care processes for diabetic patients, including blood tests. It shows that between 2016 and 2020 we saw significant improvement in the completion of these processes. As a result of the pandemic, we have seen a reduction in face to face checks. However, we are providing £2 billion to address the backlog in all services.

Health Services: Females

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Women’s Health Strategy will be published.

Maria Caulfield: We are currently analysing the responses to the call for evidence which will inform the priorities, content and actions of the new Women’s Health Strategy. We will publish the Strategy in due course.

Contact Tracing: Travel Requirements

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the cost of administering covid-19 Passenger Locator Forms is kept to a minimum.

Maggie Throup: The Department is not responsible for the administration of Passenger Locator Forms.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to help ensure that people attend their appointments for the covid-19 booster vaccine.

Maggie Throup: NHS England are contacting those eligible for a COVID-19 booster vaccine inviting them to book an appointment by either calling 119 or online. If an eligible individual has not been contacted at six months and one week since their second dose, they are invited to book their appointment via the National Booking Service without the need of an invitation letter. NHS England’s National Immunisation Management System sends reminders via text or letter to anyone who has not been vaccinated, or who has not booked an appointment through the National Booking Service.The COVID-19 vaccination programme works with regional teams and local health systems to ensure good and timely access to vaccination appointments, with more clinics administering vaccines, including pharmacies, general practitioner practices and other convenient community sites. A national ‘BOOST your immunity this winter’ campaign has launched, setting out the importance of the COVID-19 booster and flu vaccines this winter. We are also providing advice and information to address any questions about the vaccination process.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of changes to the criteria for covid-19 booster vaccinations on people with asthma.

Maggie Throup: On 14 September 2021, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advised that individuals who were vaccinated in phase one of the COVID-19 vaccination programme should be offered a booster vaccine. This includes those in the chronic respiratory disease (CRD) clinical risk group. In phase one, those with asthma needing continuous or repeated use of systemic steroids or required hospital admission were included in the CRD risk group.On 16 September, the Green Book definition of asthma was updated to state that those with ‘poorly controlled asthma’ would be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose. This includes individuals who have had two or more courses of oral corticosteroids in the preceding 24 months; or are on maintenance oral corticosteroids; or have had one or more hospital admission(s) for asthma in the preceding 24 months. A specific assessment of the impact of the revised definition of poorly controlled asthma has not been made.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to help protect people who are immunocompromised against the effects of covid-19 over winter 2021-22.

Maggie Throup: On 1 September 2021, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that individuals aged 12 years old and over with severe immunosuppression at the time of their first or second COVID-19 vaccination should be offered a third primary dose. Severely immunosuppressed individuals may not have developed a full immune response to the primary vaccination, therefore the third primary dose gives a similar level of protection as those without a weakened immune system and has received two doses.The National Health Service is writing to patients who may be eligible for a third primary dose due to severe immunosuppression. Severely immunosuppressed individuals may become eligible for a booster dose after their third primary dose, pending further advice from the JCVI.Immunocompromised individuals are a priority cohort for research into therapeutic and prophylaxis treatments, such as monoclonal antibody therapies, novel antivirals and repurposed compounds. In August, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved Ronapreve as the first neutralising monoclonal antibody combination product for use in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom.

Travel: Coronavirus

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring PCR testing for inward bound travel into the UK to identify residual infection from previous covid-19 illnesses and necessitate additional isolation periods for recovered individuals.

Maggie Throup: No assessment has been made. It is possible for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to remain positive for some time after infection despite the individual not being infectious. Anyone who has previously received a positive PCR test result should not be re-tested within 90 days, unless they develop any new symptoms of COVID-19.

Nutrition: Regulation

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recommendation 16, and its sub-recommendations, from the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform report, published 16 June 2021, in respect of regulation of nutriceuticals.

Maggie Throup: The Department has reviewed this recommendation and concluded that the United Kingdom already has in place the legislation and processes required for the regulation of such products. These are placed into various existing product categories such as food supplements, novel foods, additives, enzymes, flavouring used in foods, foods for specific groups and medicines.

Coronavirus: Death

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy, when publishing daily figures for new fatalities after confirmation of covid-19 infection, to include a breakdown showing how many of them had been (a) unvaccinated, (b) partially vaccinated, and (c) fully vaccinated (i) with and (ii) without a classification of being clinically extremely vulnerable; and what additional steps he will take to provide data to the public advertising the role of vaccination in preventing deaths from covid-19 infection.

Maggie Throup: We have no plans to do so. However, weekly data on COVID-19 deaths by vaccination status is published in the UK Health Security Agency’s weekly COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report. This contains the latest data on vaccine effectiveness data against mortality and also contains estimates on the direct and indirect impact of the vaccination programme, including deaths averted up to 24 September 2021. The weekly reports are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-surveillance-reportsThe Department is working to ensure the public has access to information to allow an informed choice about vaccinations.

Restricted Growth: Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department records cases of stunting in children under five years old.

Maggie Throup: Data on cases of stunting in all children aged under five years old is not collected centrally.

Coronavirus: Screening

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the Government of providing covid-19 testing in Scotland.

Maggie Throup: We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to ensure that pregnant women will be a priority group for the covid-19 booster jab programme.

Maggie Throup: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises that women who are pregnant should be offered vaccination at the same time as non-pregnant women, based on their age and clinical risk group. As such, pregnancy alone is not currently a cause for prioritisation for a COVID-19 booster dose at this time. The JCVI will review data as it emerges and consider further advice on booster vaccinations in the rest of the population.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of using the free flu jab list to identify people eligible for priority access to the covid-19 booster jab.

Maggie Throup: The clinical risk groups for influenza were initially considered as a potential way to identify and prioritise individuals at risk of COVID-19 when recommendations for phase one of the vaccination programme were developed.However, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s advice for the COVID-19 booster vaccine programme recommended offering vaccination to priority groups one to nine in phase one of the vaccination programme, as they received their primary course approximately six months ago.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the risk of waning covid-19 vaccine immunity posed to people who were vaccinated early to prevent the wastage of doses and who are too young to receive a booster vaccine under the current criteria.

Maggie Throup: The United Kingdom Health Security Agency observed limited waning in vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation and death more than 20 weeks post-vaccination with Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) or Comirnaty (Pfizer). This was less evident in younger adults not in a clinical risk group, suggesting that if such individuals were vaccinated early, they should still be protected for longer than older individuals.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advised that booster vaccines should be offered to those more at risk from serious disease and who were vaccinated during phase one of the programme in priority groups one to nine. Younger, healthy individuals may be expected to generate stronger vaccine-induced immune responses from primary course vaccination compared to older individuals.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made on the HPV vaccination catch-up programme.

Maggie Throup: NHS England and its providers continue to follow the advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations. The National Health Service is prioritising the first dose of HPV vaccine for all those eligible whilst addressing immunisations that have been missed. NHS providers are digitalising consent processes, using closed school estates and a range of alternative community settings to deliver vaccines where appropriate. NHS England has also been working closely with the Department of Education to ensure that schools facilitate the continuation of vaccinations where possible.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he is having with his Scottish counterpart on ensuring that covid-19 vaccinations from anywhere in the UK can be recognised by both the Scottish and English apps for the purposes of proving covid-19 vaccination status for international travel.

Maggie Throup: Ministers have regular discussions with the devolved administrations on a range of issues, including COVID Pass interoperability and alignment. Digital and non-digital solutions are now available in every nation of the United Kingdom, depending on where a patient is registered with their general practitioner.We have now established bi-directional vaccine record data flows between England and Wales, Scotland and the Isle of Man, which allows users to demonstrate their vaccination status through both the NHS COVID Pass and the Scottish COVID Pass.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he is having with directors of public health to ensure that they are well-placed to manage covid-19 in winter 2021-22.

Maggie Throup: The Department has regular engagement with regional Directors of Public Health through the Government’s local action committee (LAC) command structure. The UK Health Security Agency, the National Health Service and the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities regularly meet with the Directors of Public Health to advise on the local management of COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that lateral flow tests for covid-19 are (a) available and (b) accessible.

Maggie Throup: Lateral flow tests are available at asymptomatic test sites and home test kits can be ordered online, by phoning 119, or collected from over 90% of pharmacies across England. Rapid lateral flow testing instructions in English, Welsh and 14 other languages widely and English easy read and large print versions are available online.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the latest covid-19 statistics which show that 6.2 per cent of 12 to 15 year old school pupils in Hull and East Yorkshire have had a covid-19 jab compared to the national average of 14.4 per cent, what steps he is taking to improve covid-19 vaccine uptake in Hull amongst that age group.

Maggie Throup: School children aged 12 to 15 years old in the Hull and East Yorkshire region, including those being home-schooled, were contacted before the October half-term offering a COVID-19 vaccination. Some schools in the region have already provided vaccination clinic dates to pupils and parents. In addition, the National Health Service is working with healthcare providers in all of the local authority areas of Humber Coast and Vale, including Hull, to prepare appointments for 12 to 15 year olds outside of school hours.

Coronavirus: Screening

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason a collect code requirement has been implemented for collecting lateral flow tests from pharmacies.

Maggie Throup: This code enables the Department to track test kit distribution, send reminders to submit results, identify take up and assist the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in case of a batch recall. While a collect code is encouraged, people can still pick up test kits from pharmacies without one.

Travel: Coronavirus

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will add those African nations being supplied with UK-approved vaccines for covid-19 to the list of countries with approved proof of vaccination for travel to England.

Maggie Throup: Fully vaccinated arrivals from a number of African countries, including Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa, currently meet the definition of ‘eligible traveller’ and are subject to reduced testing and quarantine requirements.We are working with international partners to continue the expansion of the policy to other countries and territories in a phased approach, where this meets our certification requirements. The extension of vaccine certification is reviewed regularly.

Contraceptives: Finance

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendations in the APPG on Sexual and Reproductive Health’s report, Women’s Lives, Women’s Rights, whether the forthcoming national Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy will (a) recognise and (b) seek to tackle the reduction in contraception funding across (i) all areas of service provision and (ii) the most marginalised groups.

Maggie Throup: The Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy will include a focus on improving access to contraception across all areas of service provision, particularly for marginalised groups. The Spending Review 2021 maintains the Public Health Grant in real terms, enabling local authorities to continue to invest in prevention and essential services, including sexual and reproductive health services.

Vitamin D

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of guidance on vitamin D consumption issued in the (a) UK, (b) US and (c) EU.

Maggie Throup: In 2016, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published a review of the evidence on vitamin D and a wide range of health outcomes. This included consideration of the approach taken by the Institute of Medicine in the United States in setting dietary reference intakes for vitamin D. In 2016, the SACN and the European Food Safety Authority published a joint explanatory note outlining their dietary reference values (DRVs) for vitamin D.The SACN noted that for assessments carried out in the United Kingdom, US and the European Union, serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) continues to be the best indicator of exposure to vitamin D from skin synthesis and dietary intake, and is used to derive DRVs for vitamin D. However, the evidence considered for setting a target concentration of 25(OH)D, as the basis for setting DRVs, is not the same.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the Government will not recognise covid-19 vaccine records from Sri Lanka.

Maggie Throup: We are taking a phased approach to our inbound vaccination programme with other countries and territories, building on the success of the pilot with the United States and Europe. Vaccine certification between countries and territories varies and we are ensuring that certificates and apps meet our minimum requirements on content and that carriers are clear about the certification we will accept. Sri Lanka’s vaccine certification will be considered in the future expansion of the policy.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the enquiry from the hon. Member for High Peak dated 12 August 2021, reference RL25674.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. member on 28 October.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the number of occurrences civil servants in his Department raised concerns regarding the price paid for personal protective equipment from February 2020 to August 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: HM Treasury put in place measures to protect the taxpayer from mispricing. A central log of concerns regarding pricing was not created.

Down's Syndrome

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure people with Down Syndrome have access to appropriate (a) healthcare, (b) education and (c) social care throughout their lives.

Gillian Keegan: We are trialling the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training programme to improve awareness and understanding of learning disability, including Down syndrome, for all health and social care staff. We have committed to investing an additional £5.4 billion over three years to begin a comprehensive programme of reform for adult social care, including an extension of the established Disabled Facilities Grant. The Government is taking forward a review to improve outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), including those with Down syndrome, with a focus on preparing them for later life and adulthood. We will publish proposals for full public consultation in the coming months. In addition, the Spending Review committed £2.6 billion over the next three years for school places for children and young people with SEND, more than tripling current capital funding levels to over £900 million by 2024-25.

Catheters

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the management of urinary catheters in NHS hospitals and in the community in England.

Gillian Keegan: In 2018, NHS England published guidance, ‘Excellence in Continence Care’ to help improve the care and experience of patients with continence issues. The guidance includes evidence-based information and resources on urinary catheterisation and advice on the use of catheters to help raise standards of care. The guidance focuses on ensuring people with incontinence can access a timely and effective assessment and management options.

Eating Disorders: Mental Health Services

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of provision for eating disorder patients in West Yorkshire.

Gillian Keegan: In West Yorkshire, the CONNECT service provides early intervention, outpatient, inpatient and intensive home-based treatment for people with eating disorders aged 18 years old and over. Patients receive evidence-based interventions, reporting a high degree of patient satisfaction and positive outcomes. Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust leads the service as part of the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership’s mental health, learning disability and autism collaborative. Where people do not meet the criteria for the regional tertiary services, the regional service will work with local community mental health teams to undertake joint assessments and provide direct clinical intervention and consultancy as required. In 2021/22, clinical commissioning groups in West Yorkshire have prioritised investment into children and young people eating disorder services to increase staffing capacity and ensure access and waiting time standards can be met.

Mental Health Services: Veterans

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of veterans that have received mental health support in each of the last five years.

Gillian Keegan: Veterans in England can access mental health support through Operation Courage Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS), the veteran’s specialist mental health service and the NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service. The data for veterans accessing TILS and IAPT in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. Financial yearNumber of TILS assessmentsTotal number in receipt of TILS/ IAPT treatment2017/20181,64917,2712018/20192,12018,0332019/20202,56918,3752020/20212,39110,793April to August 20211,0524,294 It should be noted that IAPT data reports veterans who received treatment and declared their veteran status.

Department for Education

Parents: Coronavirus

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on parents.

Will Quince: The department recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak has been challenging for pupils and their families. The department has been regularly surveying parents and carers of school pupils throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. This has helped to inform our response on a range of issues and is also helping to shape our education recovery. The reports from these surveys were published on 29 October 2021 on gov.uk and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parent-and-pupil-panel-omnibus-surveys. The department also commissioned a bespoke sub-study as part of the Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) which explored the experiences of the children and their parents during the COVID-19 outbreak. This has helped to inform our response on a range of issues. It is important to note that while this report documents the experiences of children and their parents in the SEED study covered by the COVID-19 outbreak, the department cannot conclude from these analyses that their experiences were as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, these findings cannot be used to evaluate specific government policies including those in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The report from this survey was published on 29 October 2021 on gov.uk and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-development-coronavirus-covid-19-study. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak the department has worked to help parents support their children’s education. The department has published guidance that sets out what they need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges. This guidance is updated regularly and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. The guidance includes links to online resources to aid parents in supporting their child’s mental health and wellbeing as the department acknowledges that some children may be experiencing feelings of anxiety, stress or low mood as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. During periods of restricted attendance, schools have remained open to both vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers, ensuring that those parents who work in key sectors could continue to provide vital services. For those pupils learning from home the department recognises the challenges this has presented to parents and have published guidance which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supporting-your-childrens-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19. To support access to remote education, the department has distributed over 1.35 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people as part of a £400 million investment. The department has ensured that children who usually receive benefits-related free school meals have had access to this support during periods of restricted attendance and provided a National Voucher Scheme to support eligible pupils required to stay at home. Over £450 million of voucher e-codes had been redeemed into supermarket gift cards for families during this period. The department has continued to ensure that eligible pupils are offered good quality lunch parcels when they are required to stay home.

Pre-school Education: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the resilience of the private, voluntary and independent nursery sector since the cessation of support under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Will Quince: The department has monitored the sufficiency of childcare and resilience of the private, voluntary and independent nursery sector throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, through regular attendance data collection and monitoring the open or closed status of providers. The department has continued this through this autumn term to monitor any change since the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). Local authorities are responsible for stewardship of local childcare markets and the department also discusses sufficiency of provision in our regular conversations with them. Local authorities are not currently reporting any significant sufficiency or supply issues and the department has not seen any significant number of parents unable to secure a childcare place, either this term or since early years settings re-opened fully on 1 June 2020. Sufficient early education and childcare places continue to be accessible to those parents that want it and take up of those places is stable giving providers certainty of income.The department has also featured questions about the use, and withdrawal of, CJRS within our most recent parent and provider polls, which are being conducted this term and may provide information about any longer-term effect. The results of these polls are expected to be published towards the end of autumn term 2021 and in early spring term 2022 respectively.

Breakfast Clubs : Finance

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will allocate additional funding to support breakfast clubs in schools in England.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of breakfast clubs on children's performance in schools.

Will Quince: The government is committed to continuing support for school breakfast clubs and we are investing up to £24 million to continue our national programme for the next two years. This funding will support around 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas, meaning that thousands of children from low income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn.The department recognises that healthy breakfast clubs can play an important role in ensuring children from all backgrounds have a healthy start to their day so that they enhance their learning potential. An independent evaluation by the Institute of Fiscal Studies, published by the Education Endowment Foundation, found that supporting schools to run a free of charge, universal breakfast club before school delivered an average of 2 months’ additional progress for pupils in Key Stage 1 with moderate to low security. This evaluation can be found here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/magic-breakfast. In addition, a 2017 evaluation commissioned by the department also found that schools perceived important benefits from having a breakfast club, including improving concentration and behaviour in class. More information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/603946/Evaluation_of_Breakfast_Clubs_-_Final_Report.pdf.Throughout the current contract we will be working with our provider, Family Action, to monitor different aspects of the current programme, including the benefits the programme is having on pupils who are attending. We will consider the best opportunities to share information on the programme as it progresses.

Disability: Children

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential cost savings generated by funding additional early intervention support for disabled children and families.

Will Quince: At the Budget, the government announced a significant £500 million package to improve support for families. This includes an additional £200 million - a 40% real-terms uplift by the 2024-25 financial year – for the Supporting Families Programme to enable local authorities and their partners to provide help earlier and secure better outcomes for up to 300,000 families across all aspects of their lives. The Supporting Families programme works with the most vulnerable children and families, around a third of whom have physical and/or learning disabilities, and this investment will provide local authorities with additional funding to assist this group. The Supporting Families programme evaluation shows that the programme offers indirect savings to the public sector of £1.51 for every £1 spent and wider economic benefits of £2.28 for every £1 spent, including a reduction in the number of children coming into care, children and youth offending and Jobseekers Allowances claims. The Supporting Families evaluation cost benefit analysis does not focus on individual groups supported by the Programme, so we cannot disaggregate the savings for specific groups such as children and families with disabilities.

Children: Disability

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the finding of the Disabled Children’s Partnerships' report, entitled Left Behind, that 40 per cent of local authorities have reduced respite care for families during the covid-19 outbreak, what plans he has to provide dedicated additional funding for respite care for families with disabled children.

Will Quince: I refer the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton, to the answer given by me, on 20 October 2021 to Question 56976.

Students: Finance

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department it taking to help ensure that family members of migrant workers are aware that they qualify for full student finance support.

Michelle Donelan: From the 2021/22 academic year, migrant workers from the European Economic Area and their family members who are covered by the Withdrawal Agreements, and meet the ordinary residence requirement, can access tuition fee loans, loans for living costs and targeted grants. This arrangement is set out in the department’s guidance which was published in August: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1009789/EU_Exit_Student_Finance_Policy_-_Aug_21.pdf. The information is also contained in the following Student Finance England publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-finance-how-youre-assessed-and-paid.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the per pupil funding is in Harlow compared to 2018-19.

Mr Robin Walker: This year, 2021-22, schools in Harlow are attracting £5,153 per pupil (including additional pay and pensions funding) through the schools national funding formula (NFF). Next year, 2022-23, this NFF funding will increase to £5,291 per pupil. In 2018-19, schools in Harlow attracted £4,513 per pupil.The 2021-22 and 2022-23 figures cannot be directly compared to the 2018-19 figures due to the introduction of the teacher’s pay and pension grant that was rolled into the NFF in 2021-22. The figures for 2021-22 and 2022-23 include this additional funding.In the recent Spending Review, a further increase in the Core Schools Budget, nationally, of £1.6 billion in 2022-23 was announced. This increase is not included in the figures above; we will be announcing its distribution shortly.These figures are based on notional school-level NFF allocations. Constituency figures based on actual school-level Dedicated Schools Grant allocations are available here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/constituency-data-schools-funding/.

Schools: Food Supply

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of schools that are stockpiling food items in response to potential supply chain disruption to school meals.

Will Quince: Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals and may enter individual contracts with suppliers and caterers to meet this duty. There is no evidence to suggest widespread supply issues. We routinely consider contingency arrangements and expect schools and catering companies supplying them to do the same. The department does not monitor individual school contracts nor stock levels, but expects schools to continue providing pupils with nutritious school meals and to meet the School Food Standards which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools. The department’s published guidance advises schools, further education colleges and local authorities on how to prepare for potential changes to food supplies so they can minimise the effect on pupils and young people in their care. The guidance can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/preparing-for-food-supply-problems-from-1-january-2021. Schools are not encouraged to order more than they need, but do have flexibility under the School Food Standards to substitute food products if particular ingredients or meals are not readily available.

Ministry of Justice

Fraud: Victims

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve support for victims of fraud.

Tom Pursglove: In April 2021, the new Code of Practice came into force setting out the key rights of victims of crime, including the right of referral to specific support services. This may include referral to specialist support services for victims of fraud. In 2021/22, the MoJ is providing £150.5m for victim and witness support services. This will support victims of all crime types, including victims of fraud.

Prison Officers: Age

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in the age profile of (a) male and (b) female prison officers.

Victoria Atkins: The largest individual age group among female prison officers, as of 30 June 2021, was under 30 years old, at 38%. The largest age groups among male prison officers as of 30 June 2021 were the following age groups, 30-39 and 50-59 year olds, both at 27%. The number of staff aged under 30 for both male and female prison officers has increased compared to 31 March 2021.Further information on all HMPPS staff age demographics can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-march-2021/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-march-2021#equality-and-diversity

Prison Officers: Menopause

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of the menopause on the ability of female prison officers to pass the annual fitness test.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether dispensation is given to menopausal female prison officers taking the annual fitness test.

Victoria Atkins: The HMPPS policy on staff fitness testing states that if an employee is suffering from any specific side-effects related to the menopause, there may be the opportunity to postpone the test for a limited period whilst the side-effects subside. The deferred test would need to be completed within a 3-6-month period of the originally scheduled test and the employee would be expected to take the test at the next opportunity. If they are still unable to take the test due to significant medical symptoms, a referral to Occupational Health (OH) should be made to advise on adjustments if appropriate and a GP referral maybe required.HMPPS is commissioning further specialist medical advice to ensure the Equality Assessment for Fitness Testing remains valid, and to consider what further support can be offered to menopausal staff in general and specifically in relation to the fitness test.

Prison Officers: Health

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department undertook an equality impact assessment prior to the introduction of the annual fitness test for prison officers in 2001.

Victoria Atkins: Although the current requirements of the public sector equality duty were introduced by the Equality Act 2010, considerations of the impact of the Fitness Testing Policy were made prior to its introduction in 2001. The importance of ensuring the policy was applied fairly, regardless of the sex or gender identity of a prison officer, has been recognised since the policy was implemented, and any staff who fail the fitness test have had the support of occupational health services.

Prison Service: Incentives

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the Prison Service Bonus Payment policies in each of the last five years, broken down by grade of staff who have received a payment under those schemes.

Victoria Atkins: The figures requested from 2016 to 2019 are provided below. The figures shown are for HMPPS (shown as NOMS, National Offender Management Service), therefore inclusive of Prison and Probation staff. A breakdown by grade is not available. YearIn-year performance payments (£)Number of staff receiving an in-year paymentEnd of year performance payments (£)Number of staff receiving an end of year paymentTotal2016/17£762,4451360£386,7581416£1,149,2032017/18£1,779,6332473£783,0521803£2,562,6852018/19£1,521,9952139£867,2711902£2,389,266 We will be publishing both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 figures before the end of the year. This data may not include COVID payments as there were not paid under ‘HMPPS Bonus payment policies’ but in direct response to an emergency.

Prison Officers: Pay

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the Prison Service Payment Plus policy in each of the last five years, broken down by grade of staff that money has been paid to.

Victoria Atkins: The requested figures are available for years going back to 2016 and are presented below. It should be noted the hourly rate for Payment Plus increased by £5 per hour from £17 to £22 during 2017, and the Payment Plus pay bill was higher in 2020/21, than in the previous two years, due to the additional resourcing challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. Grade2016/17 *2017/182018/192019/202020/21Band 3 Officer£30,134,418£40,417,136£28,424,839£26,446,349£39,896,675Band 4 Officer£5,032,835£7,372,709£5,703,364£4,366,680£7,386,766Band 5 Officer£1,990,098£2,511,523£2,006,305£1,668,558£3,582,568Total Cost£37,157,350£50,301,368£36,134,509£32,481,587£50,866,009*costs reflect 11 months only - December 2016 data was unavailable.

Prison Service: Recruitment

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) Band 2 and (b) Band 3 staff have joined the prison service in each of the last 12 months, broken down by prison.

Victoria Atkins: The latest set of HMPPS Workforce Bulletin statistics for the quarter to 30 June 2021:  Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)This publication provides headline statistics at an organisational and Group/Division level, we are not able to break this down further to establishment level by month. The next set of data for the period to 30 September 2021 is due to be published in the Workforce Statistics Report on 18 November 2021. These statistics only cover information in relation to the public sector. Over the past year, 6,184 staff joined HMPPS, which is an increase of 693 (12.6%) compared to the year ending 30 June 2020. These joiners consisted of 4,177 across PSP, 189 in the YCS, 1,305 in the Probation Service, and 513 in HMPPS HQ and Area Services. Compared to the year ending 30 June 2020 these numbers of joiners represent a slight increase of 1.9% for PSP, an increase of 125.0% for YCS, an increase of 40.0% for Probation Service, and an increase of 36.1% for HMPPS HQ and Area Services.

Prison Officers: Retirement

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison officers in (a) Band 2, (b) Band 3, (c) Band 4, and (d) Band 5 have retired in each of the last 12 months, by prison.

Victoria Atkins: The latest set of HMPPS Workforce Bulletin statistics for the quarter to 30 June 2021: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) This publication provides headline statistics at an organisational, Group and Division level, we are not able to break this down further to establishment level by month. This information is broken down into various categories but can be found under retirement and medical retirement. The next set of data for the period to 30 September 2021 is due to be published in the Workforce Statistics Report on 18 November 2021. These statistics only cover information in relation to the public sector.

Prison Officers: Resignations

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison officers in (a) Band 2, (b) Band 3, (c) Band 4 and (d) Band 5 have left service on capability grounds, by prison, in each of the last 12 months.

Victoria Atkins: The latest set of HMPPS Workforce Bulletin statistics for the quarter to 30 June 2021: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) This publication provides headline statistics at an organisational, Group and Division level but we are not able to break this down further to establishment level by month. Leaving reason is broken down into various categories, and capability would be noted as part of the dismissal figures:Dismissal OtherDismissal - ConductDismissal - Poor performanceDismissal - Unsatisfactory attendance/Medical Inefficiency The next set of data for the period to 30 September 2021 is due to be published in the Workforce Statistics Report on 18 November 2021.

Prison Officers: Resignations

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison officers in (a) Band 2, (b) Band 3, (c) Band 4 and (d) Band 5 have resigned from service, by prison, in each of the last 12 months.

Victoria Atkins: The latest set of HMPPS Workforce Bulletin statistics for the quarter to 30 June 2021 is available in published workforce statistics here: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) This publication provides headline statistics at an organisational level, we are not able to break this down further to establishment level by month. The next set of data for the period to 30 September 2021 is due to be published in the Workforce Statistics Report on 18 November 2021. These statistics only cover information in relation to the public sector.

Prison Officers: Recruitment

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of recruiting a new prison officer.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of prison officer entry level training per officer.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent on prison officer (a) recruitment and (b) training by prison service area in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) operates a centralised recruitment model. Recruitment and training costs are not attributed to individual prisons but are averaged based on a variable cost per hire calculation for all recruitment and training activity. We would not be able to provide a breakdown of the recruitment or training costs by each prison service area as the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost and would contain commercially sensitive information relating to partner suppliers. The estimated cost to recruit and train a new Band 3 Prison Officer is around £13,000 as published in the Prison Service Pay Review Body report. Further information can be found on page 55 at: Prison Service Pay Review Body - Twentieth Report on England and Wales 2021 (publishing.service.gov.uk) Please be aware that the figures contained in the document are subject to regular change due to a number of variables and assumptions used to calculate the figures.

Reparation by Offenders

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to rollout community payback by offenders.

Kit Malthouse: Community Payback is the term used to describe any work done as part of an unpaid work requirement made by the Courts. Unpaid work is the main punitive disposal for community-based sentences, its purpose is to punish offenders for breaking the law whilst also allowing individuals to make reparations to their local communities for their crimes. This Government is investing £93m so that communities can benefit from a record-breaking 8 million hours of impactful and demanding unpaid work each year. This funding will allow us to rejuvenate our unpaid work offer, by recruiting additional staff and refreshing and expanding our transport fleet. We are working with large charities and organisations, Police and Crime Commissioners and local authorities to make sure that communities have their say in how unpaid work should be used in their area. This includes placements with organisations such as the Canal and River Trust and Forestry England. Other national initiatives will include a tree planting project, helping to support the Government’s wider sustainability objectives. As part of this we are consulting a range of further potential voluntary sector partners to identify unpaid work placements that will develop work ready skills and offer vocational training, helping offenders to integrate into society and promote future desistance from crime.

Housing: Civil Proceedings

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department used to calculate the proposed fixed recoverable costs; which band housing disrepair cases will fall into; and if he will publish statistics on claimant costs awarded in housing disrepair cases.

James Cartlidge: The Government set out the way forward on extending fixed recoverable costs (FRC) in civil claims on 6 September 2021, following its earlier consultation. The proposed FRC were put forward by Sir Rupert Jackson, then a Court of Appeal judge, in his 2017 Review of Civil Litigation Costs: Supplemental Report – Fixed Recoverable Costs. The FRC set out in Sir Rupert’s report will be uprated for inflation prior to implementation in 2022. As proposed by Sir Rupert, housing disrepair claims will generally be allocated to Band 3, with more complex claims falling in Band 4. The Ministry of Justice does not hold detailed data on claimant costs awarded in housing disrepair claims.

Legal Aid Scheme: Housing

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme, if he will publish data on the (a) number of housing possession proceedings issued, (b) size of the listing backlog and (c) number of possession hearings that have taken place.

James Cartlidge: This answer is in relation to all possession proceedings in England and Wales and not limited to those with Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS) involvement, which provides on-the-day emergency advice and advocacy to anyone facing possession proceedings on the day of their hearing.  a) The requested data is published quarterly and can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics b) The requested information is not held. c) The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost, however the above link also provides statistics on the number of orders made following a hearing in possession proceedings.

Crimes of Violence

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been (a) charged, (b) prosecuted and (c) convicted for offences under the Offences against The Person Act 1861, section 23, and section 24 in each year since 2010.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions and convictions under the Offences against the Person Act 1861 in England and Wales, from 2013 to 2020, in the ‘Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code’ data tool, available here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987731/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2020.xlsx The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on initial charges brought. Data showing the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted under section 23 and 24 of this Act, in England and Wales from 2010 to 2020 (latest available) can be found in the attached table. The data supplied is a subset of published information from the Courts Proceedings database.Table (xlsx, 17.4KB)

Sexual Offences: Trials

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps is he taking to reduce the (a) backlog in cases and (b) waiting times for sexual offence cases in London to go to trial.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the backlog and waiting times for sex offence cases going to trial in London.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice is working to reduce outstanding caseloads and waiting times across London by increasing capacity in the Crown court and improving collaborative working with partners across the Criminal Justice System.Safe distancing measures, including protective screens and face coverings, are applied in all courts, allowing the majority of courtrooms to continue operating. To increase capacity in London, 14 Nightingale courtrooms have been opened, additional staff and salaried Judiciary have been recruited and limits on fee-paid Judiciary have been increased.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Nnamdi Kanu

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations to her Nigerian counterpart on the situation of British citizen Maazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Vicky Ford: The UK Government is seeking clarification about the circumstances of Mr Kanu's arrest from the Nigerian Government. We are also taking active steps to provide assistance to Mr Kanu. We are in regular contact with the Nigerian authorities and remain in contact with his family and legal representatives. Our current priority is Mr Kanu's health, welfare and fair treatment and we will continue to proactively follow up with the Nigerian authorities on this case.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Staff

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to page 10 of her Department's Annual Report and Accounts: 2020-2021, HC 660, published on 22 September 2022, what assessment she has made of the impact of resourcing challenges in respect of securing staff and skills experienced by her Department on (a) making progress on her development priorities and (b) Britain's global standing.

Amanda Milling: The merger of the two legacy organisations has brought together a wealth of knowledge, experience and skills needed to make progress on both the FCDO's development priorities and Britain's global standing. Prioritisation of the internal workforce continues, to ensure staff are deployed to the areas of the FCDO's greatest need.Work is ongoing on the FCDO's Strategic Workforce Plan, which will define the skills and experience the organisation needs both now and in the future and how the organisation will develop or acquire those skills where they do not exist in the current workforce. In the meantime, the Diplomatic and Development Fast Stream, the Diplomatic and Development Economist Fast Stream schemes and the Direct Entry Scheme for Advisers (DESA), remain some of the primary methods for bringing new skills and future talent into the organisation. The FCDO also recruits for specialist skills and experience, aligned to our Strategic Workforce Plan, from across Government, or externally where the skills are not readily available from within the Civil Service.

China: Olympic Games

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans the Government has for the (a) political and (b) diplomatic representation of the UK at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Amanda Milling: As the Government has previously made clear, no decisions have yet been made about Government attendance at the Beijing Olympics in 2022.

Interpol: Public Appointments

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the candidacy of Emirati Major General Nasser Ahmed al-Raisi for the Interpol presidency, to be elected on 23-25 November 2021, in the context of the UAE’s human rights record.

James Cleverly: As with all elections for international organisations, the UK Government will review all candidates for the presidency of Interpol, and consider our vote carefully. We are committed to the promotion of universal freedoms and human rights and we encourage all states, including the United Arab Emirates, to uphold international human rights obligations.

Afghanistan: Humanitarian Situation

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

James Cleverly: We are using every diplomatic and humanitarian lever at our disposal to address the crisis, including doubling our aid to Afghanistan and the region. On 31 October, the Prime Minister announced that £50 million of our total £286 million commitment will be allocated to UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross. This will provide life-saving humanitarian support to two and a half million Afghans.

Afghanistan: Females

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help women from religious minorities who are persecuted in Afghanistan by the Taliban and have their freedoms severely curtailed due to fear of kidnapping, forced conversion and forced marriage.

James Cleverly: We are committed to prioritising women and girls in the Government's response to the situation in Afghanistan and remain concerned about their safety. We are consulting Afghan women's organisations to understand how best to support their needs, in safety and with dignity. On 21 October, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia, UN and the Commonwealth, attended the annual Women, Peace and Security Open Debate at the UN Security Council and met prominent Afghan women to discuss how the UK can best support women and girls.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the £43,379,999 for the sharing of 100 million doses of covid-19 vaccines with countries in need, published in her Department's Development Tracker, whether that funding will be in addition to the 0.5 per cent ODA budget.

Wendy Morton: The cost of COVID-19 vaccine donations for 2021 has been additional to the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget set out at the 2020 Spending Review (SR20) for 2021-22, but is expected to remain within 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI) given the growth in GNI forecasts since SR20.Departmental ODA budgets are increasing significantly over the Spending Review period due to forecast growth in GNI. SR21 fully covers the cost of vaccine donations to meet the Prime Minister's commitment on donating 100 million surplus doses by June 2022 as part of the G7 dose-sharing commitments to drive an intensified effort to vaccinate the world by 2022.

Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2021 to Question 59919, on Overseas Aid, and with reference to the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, what assessment she has made of the impact on funding for existing bilateral projects of counting a proportion of the additional loan of over £1 billion worth of Special Drawing Rights to the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust as Official Development Assistance.

Amanda Milling: Departmental Official Development Assistance (ODA) budgets will be increasing significantly over the Spending Review period, from the £10 billion that was allocated in 2020 to at least £12.3 billion by 2024-25. The UK's Special Drawing Rights (SDR) contribution to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust provides valuable financial support to the poorest and most vulnerable countries. The ODA impacts of SDR channelling are additional to these growing departmental ODA budgets.

Taiwan: Politics and Government

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the security situation in Taiwan.

Amanda Milling: HMG considers the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue. We are concerned by any activity which raises tensions and risks destabilising the status quo and have been clear that the numerous Chinese military flights near Taiwan at the beginning of October were not conducive to peace and stability in the region. We underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait alongside partners in the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers' communique in May and G7 Leaders' communique in June.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to support low-income countries to (a) receive and (b) safely administer covid-19 vaccines pledged by the UK.

Wendy Morton: The UK is committed to equitable and global vaccine access, and is working with international partners to increase global supply and end the acute phase of the pandemic. This is why the UK has committed to sharing 100 million doses with countries in need by mid-2022. To date, 10.6 million doses have been delivered bilaterally, and a further 10 million doses have been accepted by COVAX to be delivered in the coming weeks. This is on top of the UK's £548 million support for COVAX's Advance Market Commitment, which will aim to supply up to 1.8 billion doses for up to 92 low and middle-income countries by early 2022. COVID-19 vaccines donated through COVAX are administered by Gavi and their Alliance partners, who work with governments to ensure robust and transparent distribution and reporting plans are in place to ensure priority groups are reached. For UK bilateral donations, we have sought assurances from recipients that they have the capacity to roll out doses in line with National Deployment and Vaccination Plans.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has provided support for the (a) staffing of vaccine centres abroad and (b) training of those staff in the context of the supply of vaccines to developing countries.

Wendy Morton: The UK has deployed over 130 emergency medical experts from the UK Emergency Medical Team (UK EMT) to over 17 countries throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. These teams have provided training and capacity building on COVID-19 infection, prevention, and control to national health workers alongside providing clinical care to COVID-19 patients as required.UK support for delivering vaccinations has been channelled through our investments in multilateral partners. The UK is one of the largest donors to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). Our £548 million commitment will support the COVAX AMC to deliver up to 1.8 billion vaccine doses for up to 92 low and middle-income countries. The COVAX Facility is a multilateral mechanism that pools resources to accelerate the development, manufacture, and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines. COVAX and its Alliance partners work closely with governments to ensure robust and transparent distribution and reporting plans are in place to ensure priority groups are reached.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Females

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what initiatives he has introduced to support the recruitment and retention of women in the armed forces.

Leo Docherty: The Ministry of Defence aims to significantly improve the recruitment and retention of women in the Armed Force; our ambition is to achieve 30% inflow of women by 2030. To realise this goal, the single Services have taken a range of steps to improve the experience of women in the Armed Forces, as we continue to do for all serving personnel. This includes all roles being open to women, targeted programmes to increase the recruitment of women, introducing flexible service, flexible and parental leave, the provision of sanitary boxes, and reviewing women specific combat requirements. We are committed to building on these improvements to give women greater confidence that a career in the Armed Forces is a fantastic opportunity and will not be limited by outdated or regressive policy.

Sahel: Climate Change and Terrorism

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the impact of climate change on trends in the level of violent extremism and terrorism in the Sahel.

James Heappey: The Department's publication, 'Global Strategic Trends' published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/global-strategic-trends addresses security threats arising from climatic change in the Sahel, including those from extremism and terrorism. We keep under review such threats to the UK and its allies. It is ever more important that we use COP 26 as the opportunity to secure meaningful commitments from nations to address the causes of climate change.

NATO: Climate Change

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 23 of his Department’s Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach, published on 30 March 2021, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in NATO in the last 12 months on further cooperation on adapting to and mitigating against the effects of climate change.

James Heappey: The UK believes that NATO should aim to be the leading international organisation in understanding, mitigating against and adapting to the impacts of climate change on security. This year the UK and its NATO Allies agreed on a NATO Agenda on Climate Change and Security and accompanying Action Plan, which have concrete actions to tackle the implications of climate change on Alliance security. That plan has regularly been the subject of discussion between NATO Defence Ministers over the last 12 months, and I am delighted that NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, attended COP26 in Glasgow at the invitation of the Prime Minister. As part of the forward looking NATO 2030 initiative, agreed by Alliance Leaders in June, the UK and its NATO Allies have agreed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from military activities and installations without impairing personnel safety, operational effectiveness and our deterrence and defence posture. These NATO initiatives reflect UK defence ambitions as set out in the Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach, released in March this year.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many track km were (a) forecast and (b) recorded against the (i) CR2, (ii) Warrior, (iii) AS90, (iv) Bulldog, (v) Ajax and (vi) FV432 for (A) 2017, (B) 2018, (C) 2019 and (D) 2020.

Jeremy Quin: Details of the forecast and actual Tracked Mileage Recorded for the years requested are given below. Financial YearFinancial Year 2017/18Financial Year 2018/19Financial Year 2019/20Financial Year 2020/21Platform (Kms)ForecastActualsForecastActualsForecastActualsForecastActualsCR290,93483,66293,38573,71489,85098,71997,00058,892WR304,634336987313,724237,548318,273293.439300,000266,880AS9027,50020,15527,57525,98127,50125,92427,50132,223Bulldog245,504341,986249,704237,609260,000270,564260,000112,095AJAXN/AN/AN/A1,679N/A1,144N/A5,778FV432N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A Notes 1. CR2 - Gun & Command only2. Financial years run 01 April – 31 March3. The Forecast is a total forecast and includes more than just the Army forecast for training activity. It captures other activity including, trials and experimentation and other Front Line Command forecasts.4. COVID-19 had a significant impact on the way that the Army trained, this is reflected in some of the Actuals details in FY 20/21.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) CR2, (b) Bulldog IFV, (c) Warrior IFV and (d) AS90 are declared operational or combat ready.

Jeremy Quin: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people will benefit from the changes to the tapering on university credit announced in the Autumn Budget 2021 (a) nationally, (b) in York and (c) in York Central constituency.

David Rutley: Universal Credit recipients in work will soon benefit from a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%, and increasing the work allowance by £504 per year means that 1.9m working households will be able to keep substantially more of what they earn. These measures effectively represent a tax cut, worth around £2.2bn a year in 2022-23, for the lowest paid in society, and are combined with a rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour.The latest available statistics on the number of people who are on Universal Credit and are in employment, for Great Britain and by local authority and parliamentary constituency, are published and can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dangerous Dogs

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the (a) Home Secretary and (b) Secretary of State for Justice on any plans to review and update the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Jo Churchill: The Government is concerned about any dog that is not under control and that poses a threat to public safety, and we are determined to crack down on irresponsible dog ownership. Therefore, Defra commissioned Middlesex University to examine measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible ownership of all breeds of dogs and produce a report of their findings. Defra is giving careful consideration to the report and its recommendations, and will engage with the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice as necessary. The report will be published later this year.

Cider

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of raising the minimum juice content for cider.

Victoria Prentis: The UK has a history of cidermaking dating back thousands of years. This proud tradition has given rise to a wide variety of cidermaking traditions throughout the UK, ranging from small, artisanal producers to large scale global businesses. The UK Government recognises the importance of cider and cidermakers to British farmers, publicans, and consumers alike. The present requirement under the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 that 35% of the finished product be made up by apple juice was last revised in 2010, following consultation with cidermakers. Defra believes that this strikes a suitable balance, facilitating the various ancient traditions found on these islands while still allowing for innovation in the sector and large-scale production of popular styles. Neither consumers nor cider makers have been asking for a change in the rules. As a result, the Government has not made any more recent assessment of the merits of raising the minimum juice content for cider and has no plans to amend this provision in the 1979 Act.

Food: Industry

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle the long-term shortage of labour in the food and drink sector.

Victoria Prentis: Defra is working closely with industry to help our world-leading farmers and food and drink businesses access the labour they need, and to ensure that our sectors are appropriately supported both this year and in the future. On 22 December 2020, the Government extended the Seasonal Workers Pilot into 2021, with up to 30,000 visas available, granted for workers to come to the UK, from EU or non-EU countries, for a period of up to six months to work in the edible horticulture sector. In December 2020, a Defra-led review into automation in horticulture was also announced alongside the extension of the Seasonal Workers Pilot. The review will report on ways to increase automation in the horticulture sector and meet the Government’s aim of reducing the need for migrant seasonal labour. There are a number of initiatives across Government to bring these technologies to market as fast as possible, including Transforming Food Production, Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme and Farming Investment Fund as well as other public funding initiatives. The Farming Innovation Programme opened for applications on 20 October 2021 and will support the sector to develop new technologies, systems and processes to deliver enhanced productivity and support wider net zero goals.On 1 January 2021 the Government introduced the new points-based immigration system, under which EU and non-EU citizens are treated equally. The Skilled Worker route is open to all nationals who wish to come to the UK for the purpose of working in a skilled job they have been offered.Alongside this, food and drink businesses will also be able to recruit those who come to the UK through our youth mobility schemes, dependents of skilled workers, plus those who arrive through other routes, such as our humanitarian protection ones, who have free access to the UK labour market.In 2021 and beyond, the food and drink industry continues to be able to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status. Over 5.3 million EU citizens and their families have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme and EU nationals who have settled status can continue to travel to the UK to do seasonal work in the food and drink sector.Defra is also working closely with the Home Office to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce beyond 2021.For the longer term, the Government is encouraging all sectors to make employment more attractive to UK domestic workers through offering training, careers options, wage increases and to invest in increased automation technology.To support these efforts, Defra is working with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to raise awareness of career opportunities within the food and drink sectors among UK workers. All food and drink businesses are encouraged to advertise roles through DWP's Find A Job website, where they can upload and manage their vacancies. DWP does not charge for this service and it is available across the United Kingdom. Defra welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s work on the Release On Temporary Licence (ROTL) scheme for work across a number of sectors, including the food and drink sector. The scheme aims to help prisoners gain useful skills and work experience as they approach their release. The Government is continuing to work extensively to understand employers’ needs through regular engagement with industry and encourage them to invest in the best home-grown talent through Government-backed schemes such as apprenticeships and T Levels.

Food

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that consideration of the food and nutrition needs of infants and young children, and associated challenges facing young families, is included in the forthcoming White Paper on the National Food Strategy.

Victoria Prentis: The forthcoming Government Food Strategy is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a food system that feeds our nation today and protects it for tomorrow. It will build upon work already underway in the Agriculture Act, Fisheries Act, and Environment Bill as well as docking into wider Government priorities, such as the obesity strategy. The Government is wholly committed to supporting people on lower incomes, for example through increasing the living wage and spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22. It is also supporting the health and nutrition of young families through initiatives like the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme and this year’s increase to The Healthy Start voucher value. The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme provides a free piece of fruit or vegetable to every child in Key Stage 1 at state-funded primary schools on every school day, while the Healthy Start vouchers encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies and young children from low-income households, and increased in value from £3.10 to £4.25 from April 2021. Defra will continue to work closely with all other relevant Departments across Whitehall to develop a plan to ensure the food system is sustainable and affordable, supporting people and families to live healthy lives, and incorporate within our Food Strategy

Forests: Access

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy that his Department's Woodland Access Implementation Plan extends the Right to Roam to woodlands.

Rebecca Pow: Through the England Trees Action Plan, we committed to ensuring the provision of safe and appropriate public access as a feature of as many woodlands as possible and to work with landowners and woodland users to develop and implement a plan to improve the quantity, quality and permanency of public access to new and existing woodlands.We do not currently plan to mandate new woodlands have public access or introduce a right to roam across all woodlands. We do plan to explore various other options from updating Forestry Commission guidance through to plans to encourage improvements to the quality and permanency of access using existing legislative means (i.e. the Public Rights of Way network). This will include how we might support greater access for all abilities and higher rights. We will also explore options to support landowners to consider access through our current voluntary grant offers, amending them to be more attractive for offering permanent access and making more areas eligible for support.We are currently in the process of working with stakeholders to develop this Implementation Plan, identifying the policy, guidance, and behavioural changes needed to improve access to new and existing woodlands, which will feed into the development of the final plan.

Home Office

Alcoholic Drinks: Drugs

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the rate of (a) convictions and (b) arrests following allegations of drug spiking.

Rachel Maclean: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Contact Tracing: Travel Requirements

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Minister approved the catalogue of data collection fields on the UK Passenger Locator Form.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase police visibility and trust in local communities.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is delivering on the people’s priorities by recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers and putting violent criminals behind bars for longer.To the end of September this year, Police forces in England and Wales have recruited an additional 11,053 police officers as part of the police uplift programme, 55% of the 20,000-recruitment target by 2023.Whilst decisions about the deployment of officers are a matter for Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables, these decisions are expected to be informed by local need.The Beating Crime Plan published on 27 July laid out the Government’s plan for tackling crime and its commitment to reconnect the police with the public. It can be found at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1015382/Crime-plan-v10.pdfThe police's ability to fulfil their duties is dependent on their capacity to secure and maintain public trust and support for their actions, as part of the model of policing by consent. That is why the Government will also be looking carefully at strengthening the system of local community scrutiny and the value and use of body-worn video.

Immigration Bail: North West

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are on immigration bail in (a) Manchester, Gorton constituency, (b) Manchester, (c) Greater Manchester and (d) the North West of England.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people on immigration bail are currently subject to a reporting condition in (a) Manchester Gorton, (b)  Manchester, (c) Greater Manchester and (d) in the North West of England.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people on immigration bail are under the age of 18, including those whose age is disputed and assert that their age is under 18, who are living in (a) Manchester Gorton, (b) Manchester, (c) Greater Manchester and (d) the North West of England as at 26 October 2021.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people under the age of 18, including those whose age is disputed and assert that their age is under 18, are on immigration bail and subject to a reporting condition in (a) Manchester Gorton, (b) Manchester, (c) Greater Manchester and (d) the North West of England as at 26 October 2021.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people subject to a reporting condition are in the care of local authorities in (a) Manchester Gorton, (b) Manchester, (c) Manchester Gorton and (d) in the North West as a (i) looked-after child and (ii) care leaver on 26 October 2021.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people subject to reporting conditions have dependent children in (a) Manchester Gorton, (b) Manchester, (c) Greater Manchester and (d) the North West as at 26 October 2021.

Tom Pursglove: Bail conditions are imposed where an individual without valid leave to remain in the UK comes into contact with Immigration Enforcement (IE) and are not imminently removable. For example, where a legal barrier or lack of travel document prevents their return. The individual would be placed on reporting. This is a form of contact management, whereby individuals are required to attend a Reporting Centre (managed by IE) or a police station on a regular basis. UKVI, Asylum, Criminal Casework, Removal Casework and ICE all feed cases into the reporting population. The frequency at which an offender reports is based on their removability, the risk they pose to the public and their vulnerability. There are 14 Reporting Centres throughout the UK and over 100 police stations where individuals are required to report. These are serviced by c.210 Full Time-Equivalent (FTE). When attending a reporting event, an individual may be interviewed to gather information that allows Immigration Enforcement to apply for a travel document and make a decision on an outstanding application or promote a voluntary return. When an individual becomes removable, they may be detained at a Reporting Centre or a Police station when they next report. Significant changes have been made to bail conditions, and to reporting requirements, considering the evolution of the current pandemic. We do not routinely publish the information that has been requested, however, requiring a child to report will be rare and the decision will be made on a case by case basis by the reporting and offender management teams, taking into account every child matters: statutory guidance and the best interests of the child. Home Office defines an age dispute case as one where an individual:Claims to be a child.The categories such as credible and clear documentary evidence that they are 18 years of age or over or prior to detention gave a date of birth that would make them an adult and/or stated they were an adult; and only claimed to be a child after a decision had been taken on their asylum claim, entry to the UK or immigration status do not apply.The individual is unable to prove he/she is under 18 years old and is awaiting a Merton compliant age assessment to confirm their age.It’s also important to note that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we introduced interim guidance on reporting for individuals which means that not everybody within the reporting population is currently required to report in-person. There is no change to the case working process. Caseworkers make decisions regarding who is required to attend a Reporting Centre on behalf of the Secretary of State. Caseworkers evaluate each case based on up to date circumstances and in accordance with law. The decision is made to set up reporting in line with the existing bail and reporting policies as well as the new interim reporting guidance. Based on recent data only a very small percentage of the reporting population are currently required to report in-person as a condition of bail at this time. Initially, there was a temporary suspension on in-person reporting for those who would otherwise be required to report, which was applied from 17 March 2020. Following the introduction of large-scale testing and a reduction in the rates of transmission, and in light of the scientific advice as to the measures that could be implemented to enhance public safety, reporting centres then re-opened, initially through two pilot schemes commencing on 20 July 2020, and then through other centres. COVID-19 risk assessments and safe systems of working were introduced, together with other safety measures, including, where appropriate, an adjustment of the time slots for reporting. Following the introduction of further national restrictions in November 2020 and January 2021, the Home Office’s approach was reviewed and revised again, as reflected in the latest COVID-19 interim guidance, “Reporting and offender management – interim guidance” (Version 3.0). Currently only individuals within five priority cohorts are expected to report in-person at reporting centres, or in some locations Police stations, these groups are categorised as:(a) foreign national offenders (FNOs)/High Harm/Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) or other security cases. Persons who are on Restricted Leave.(b) those who have shown a willingness to return home voluntarily and where reporting will aid the process of return(c) those who have not returned home and who have not engaged with our Voluntary Return programme – including delivery of a Detention on Reporting (DOR)(d) those identified for removal(e) those who are not immediately removable but have failed to comply with telephone contact and are currently ‘out of contact.’Please see the link below to the interim guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/940714/rom-interim-guidance-v1.0ext.pdfThe position is kept under on-going review, having regard to public health considerations as well as the public interest in the maintenance of immigration control.

Repatriation: Eritrea

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the criteria are for satisfying the conditions of a voluntary return to Eritrea.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office will always look to support those who wish to depart the United Kingdom voluntarily, and the extent of that support is based on a case by case assessment of an individual’s needs.General eligibility criteria can be found online at Get help to return home if you’re a migrant in the UK: Who can get help - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Refugees: Afghanistan

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that people who are at risk of death or persecution due to their religion or belief are prioritised in the Afghan citizens' resettlement scheme.

Victoria Atkins: Whilst the ACRS is not yet open, the policy statement published on gov.uk on 13 September sets out that the scheme will prioritise:a) those who have assisted the UK efforts in Afghanistan and stood up for values such as democracy, women’s rights and freedom of speech, rule of law (for example, judges, women’s rights activists, journalists); andb) vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups at risk (including ethnic and religious minorities and LGBT+).We will work with UNHCR and other expert partners directly in the region to identify eligible people and bring them to the UK.The policy statement sets out further information on the eligibility, prioritisation and referral of people for the ACRS, and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement-accessible-version#afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy

Drugs: Organised Crime

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle county lines drugs gangs.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what operational support her Department provides for police forces to (a) identify and (b) tackle county lines drugs gangs.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much and what proportion of her Department's budget is allocated to tackling county lines drugs gangs.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with international partners on tackling county lines drugs gangs.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help prevent (a) county lines and (b) other drug dealing operations to liaise online.

Kit Malthouse: This Government is determined to crack down on the county lines gangs who are exploiting our children and have a devastating impact on our communities. That is why we are investing a dedicated £40m this year to tackle drugs supply and county lines and surge our activity against these ruthless gangs bringing our total dedicated investment to over £65m since November 2019. Tackling drugs supply and county lines is a key priority for police and law enforcement agencies who receive core funding to respond to a range of serious and organised crime threats, including drugs supply. In total, the Home Office budget for 21/22 is £14.2bn, which includes funding for policing and fire, securing the borders and controlling immigration and issuing passports and visas. The £40m investment provided this financial year has allowed us to expand and build upon our successful County Lines Programme which, since launching in November 2019, has already seen more than 1,500 lines closed, over 7,400 arrests, £4.3 million in cash and significant quantities of drugs seized, and more than 4,000 vulnerable people safeguarded. Our programme investment includes funding the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to improve the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. We have also increased disruption on the rail networks through the British Transport Police’s dedicated County Lines Taskforce and directly fund police intensification in the top three exporting areas (the Metropolitan Police Service, Merseyside Police, and West Midlands Police). In addition, this year we have established a dedicated fund to help local police forces tackle the scourge of county lines. We are also funding specialist support for young people at risk of county lines exploitation and their families. Lastly, we are funding the MPS-led Social Media Hub which brings together a dedicated team of police officers and staff who work with Social Media platforms to tackle gang related serious violence perpetrated online, including county lines activity. County lines drug dealing is a domestic issue, so our engagement with international partners on this is limited. However, we engage with the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime and other international partners on a range of drug policy issues.

Drugs: Organised Crime

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support people exploited by county lines drugs gangs.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent exploitation of vulnerable people by county lines drugs gangs.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure young people are not being exploited across County Lines.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is committed to the prevention of county lines exploitation and to supporting children, young people and the most vulnerable in our society who are affected by it. On 20 January this year, we announced £40m of dedicated investment for 2021/22 to tackle drugs supply and county lines, doubling our investment from the previous year.Since it was launched, in November 2019, our county lines programme has resulted in 1,500 line closures, 7,400 arrests and more than 4,000 vulnerable people safeguarded as part of police and law enforcement action to bring those responsible to justice and protect the vulnerable.In addition, we also provide £1m of specialist support to under 25s from London, the West Midlands and Merseyside who are criminally exploited through county lines, to help them safely reduce and exit their involvement. This includes a rescue service to support the safe return home of these vulnerable young people who are identified outside their home areas in connection with county lines.We are also continuing to fund Missing People’s SafeCall service.  This national service provides specialist advice and support to young people and a range of support options to their parents/carers who are affected by county lines exploitation.

Migrant Workers: Large Goods Vehicle Driver

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications were (a) made and (b) granted under the fuel tanker driver concession visa, which closed on 15 October 2021.

Kevin Foster: On 1 October, the Home Office stood up at pace an emergency arrangement for HGV drivers in the fuels supply sector. This arrangement permitted fully licensed and qualified drivers, identified by the fuel transport sector and endorsed by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to take up employment in the UK on a temporary basis. The arrangement closed on 15 October 2021.The rapid deployment of this arrangement necessitated applications for leave to enter be considered at the border, and as a result this group is not discretely captured within published Home Office data.This arrangement formed part of a wider response to issues in the supply chain. The UK Government is working with the haulage sector to promote jobs, training and a range of other initiatives to get more people into HGV driving.Like other sectors the focus should be on training and recruiting from the UK based workforce in the first instance, especially given the impact of the pandemic resulting in more UK based workers looking for new employment. Reported shortages of HGV drivers across the EU and much of the developed world also indicate the ability to recruit abroad is no guarantee of being able to do so.

Asylum: Housing

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were living in contingency accommodation across the UK as at 1 October 2021.

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were living in (a) hotels, (b) hostels, (c) military barracks and (d) other types of temporary or contingency accommodation as at 1 October 2021.

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers living in hotels or hostels were (a) single men, (b) single women, (c) accompanied children with parent or guardian and (d) unaccompanied minors on 1 October 2021.

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers living in hotels or hostels had been in contingency accommodation for (a) 35 days or less, (b) more than 35 days, (c) more than three months, (d) more than six months, (e) more than 12 months, (f) more than 18 months or (g) more than two years, as at 1 October 2021.

Kevin Foster: The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 22 August 2021. The next quarterly figures are due to be released later this month. The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of these statistics which disaggregates the number of asylum seekers accommodated in specific accommodation, as these figures are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Temporary Accommodation

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum-seeking unaccompanied or accompanied children were living in hotels or hostels had been in contingency accommodation for (a) 35 days or less, (b) more than 35 days, (c) more than three months, (d) more than six months, (e) more than one year or (f) more than two years, as at 1 October 2021.

Kevin Foster: The transfer of minors from hotel accommodation or contingency accommodation into Local Authority care is fluid and evolving and data is not held in a reportable way, to provide them could only be done at a disproportionate cost. We publish statistics on how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors are transferred into Local Authority care at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2021

Passports: Applications

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2021 to Question 43418, on Passports: Applications, what measures she has introduced to reduce processing times for applications.

Kevin Foster: Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 5 million people have chosen to delay applying for a passport. With the potential demand for passports higher than ever before, since April 2021 passport applicants have been advised to plan to wait up to 10 weeks before they receive their passport. Her Majesty’s Passport Office has a range of tried and tested contingency arrangements available to help passport applications to be processed as quickly as possible during the periods of very highest demand, including the flexing of resources from across the Home Office and other government departments. However, there are no current plans to change the advice about how long to allow when applying for a passport until the level of potential demand returns closer to normal levels.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Recommendation Three of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review, how many events with the Windrush generation have taken place with a focus on reconciliation and in the presence of (a) trained facilitators and/or specialist services and (b) senior Home Office staff and ministers.

Priti Patel: Community grassroots engagement has been key to delivering our messages to the people we know we need to reach.Since 2018, we have held approximately 200 community engagement and outreach events across the country. These community events include one-to-one surgeries to help people apply for documentation to the Windrush Scheme and public community engagement events to raise awareness of the Windrush Schemes.

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by which date applicants to the Windrush Compensation Scheme will have received their final decision letter.

Priti Patel: We cannot provide a specific timeframe by when claimants will receive their final decisions.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Rents: Arrears

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of people in rent arrears, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) gender, as of 26 October 2021.

Eddie Hughes: The full breakdown of those in arrears with rent payments is provided in Table T15, including Table T15h, which details whether private renters are in arrears with rent payments by ethnicity. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-resilience-study-wave-3 in ‘Household Resilience Study: Wave 3 tables’.To help support the most vulnerable renters, the Government has recently made available the £500 million Household Support Fund and £65 million in additional Homelessness Prevention Grant funding.

Regional Planning and Development: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that communities in London experiencing high levels of poverty are not be excluded from the Government's policies on levelling up; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: Levelling up is at the heart of the Government's agenda. Levelling up means empowering local leaders and communities to drive real change; boosting living standards, particularly where they are lower; spreading opportunity and improving public services, particularly where they are weaker; and restoring local pride across the UK. SR21 announced the first places to receive £1.7 billion funding from the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, putting community priorities at the heart of our investment through delivery of local priorities. In the capital, Ealing, Newham, Brent, Wandsworth, and Tower Hamlets have all been successful in round one of the Levelling Up Fund and will receive £64.9 million to deliver community enhancing projects.

Regional Planning and Development

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many areas with priority (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 made bids to the first round of the Levelling Up Fund.

Neil O'Brien: The first round of the Levelling Up Fund will invest £1.7 billion in 105 local infrastructure projects across the UK. Citizens across the UK can expect to see projects getting underway from early 2022. As set out in the Levelling Up Fund Explanatory Note, a total of 305 Levelling Up Fund bids were received on or before the 18 June 2021 and were assessed in accordance with the approach outlined in the Levelling Up Fund Technical Note.All successful bids have been published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/levelling-up-fund-first-round-successful-bidders

Regional Planning and Development: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what metrics the Government plans to use to assess the effect of the levelling up agenda on children.

Neil O'Brien: These metrics can be found here: See Spending Review 2021 Priority Outcomes and Metrics

Parks: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, when he plans to publish details of the application process for the Levelling up parks' fund.

Neil O'Brien: The £9 million Levelling Up Parks Fund will create over 100 green spaces across the UK on land which is unused, undeveloped or derelict. Further details on the fund will be announced in due course.

Community Renewal Fund

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to his oral contribution of 25 October 2021, Official Report, column 18, if he will provide an update on his commitment to provide an update to areas that had made bids to the Community Renewal Fund by the end of the week commencing 25 October 2021; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: Areas that bid to the UK Community Renewal Fund have been informed today whether they have been successful.

Housing Associations: Fire Prevention

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of the fire safety challenges on the ability of housing associations to (a) build new homes, (b) undertake maintenance and repair works on existing properties and (c) not increase service charges and rents.

Eddie Hughes: Individual housing associations are responsible for making the necessary investments to ensure their buildings are safe. The Government has supported this by committing up to £400 million to fully fund the removal and replacement of unsafe ACM cladding systems on buildings over 18 metres that are owned by registered providers of social housing. The Government has also committed to meet the cost of removing other types of unsafe cladding on buildings over 18 metres where the costs would otherwise have been borne by leaseholders or where a registered provider of social housing’s financial viability would otherwise be threatened. The Government is committed to increasing the supply of affordable housing and is investing over £12 billion in affordable housing, the largest investment in a decade. This includes the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, which will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow. Social landlords are obliged by law to maintain the structure and exterior of their properties, and to keep sanitation, water, gas and electrical installations in repair. The Regulator of Social Housing requires that social rented homes are maintained by all landlords to at least the quality set out by the Decent Homes Standard, and we are reviewing the Decent Homes Standard to consider whether it needs to be updated to make sure it delivers what is needed for safety and decency today. Service charges are payable only to the extent that the costs have been reasonably incurred as set out under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. The Government’s social housing rent policy prohibits rent increases in excess of CPI plus one percentage point per annum (subject to certain exceptions) and are encouraged to keep service charges within this parameter.

Homelessness and Temporary Accommodation: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many people are (a) homeless, (b) in emergency accommodation and (c) in temporary accommodation in Enfield North constituency.

Eddie Hughes: The Department holds information on homelessness and rough sleeping at a local authority level. In the London Borough of Enfield, the latest figures indicate the number of households who were assessed as being owed a homelessness duty is 386. These figures are from April-June 2021. The number of households in emergency accommodation is 169 as of January 2021, the latest figures recorded. Further information about the figures can be found on gov.uk, where all live tables for homelessness data are published, here.

Evictions

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of Section 21 evictions issued, by (a) ethnicity and (b) gender of the person being evicted, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Eddie Hughes: There is no requirement on landlords to notify the Government when they serve notice of their intention to seek possession to their tenant. As such, the Department does not hold data on the number of Section 21 notices issued by ethnicity, or the gender of the person being evicted.If the tenant does not vacate the property after the expiry of a notice, a landlord is required to make a claim for possession in the county court to legally regain possession of the property. This can result in the property being repossessed by a county court bailiff or High Court Enforcement Officer if the case is not otherwise resolved.The Mortgage and Landlord Repossession Statistics, published by the Ministry of Justice, record the number of claims for possession brought by landlords in the county court in each quarter, and the number of repossessions carried out by county court bailiffs. These statistics show that there were 359 evictions via the accelerated procedure (section 21) in April to June 2021 but data on the ethnicity or gender of the occupiers whose property was repossessed is not collected.The statistics are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-april-to-june-2021/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-april-to-june-2021.

Evictions

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of banning orders issued under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 in the last 12 months.

Eddie Hughes: Local authorities are required make an entry on the database of rogue landlords and property agents where a person or organisation has received a banning order. In the last 12 months, there have been no entries made as a result of banning orders issued under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.

Landlords: Registration

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of proposals for a mandatory register of landlords.

Eddie Hughes: The Government has committed to exploring the merits of introducing a national landlord register in England as part of a commitment to drive up standards in rented accommodation. We are engaging with a range of stakeholders from across the sector to inform this work and we will publish a White Paper in due course that will set out proposals for private rented sector reform.

Homelessness: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps he has taken to support people at risk of homelessness in Enfield North constituency.

Eddie Hughes: The Government has committed over £800 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping this year, further demonstrating the Government’s commitment to end rough sleeping this Parliament and fully enforce the Homelessness Reduction Act. This includes a £65 million one-off top up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant, for local authorities to help vulnerable households with rent arrears to reduce the risk of them being evicted and becoming homeless, bringing total spend this year from the Homelessness Prevention Grant to £375 million.Whilst the Department does not hold financial data for specific constituencies, Enfield London Borough council has received financial support for the following programmes:Name of SchemeFunding AllocatedHomelessness Prevention Grant£8,927,794Homelessness Prevention Grant: exceptional winter top-up£1,871,957Rough Sleeping Initiative£690,250Accommodation for Ex-Offenders (AfEO) Scheme£143,125Homelessness Domestic Abuse New Burdens Funding£28,993In total, Enfield London Borough has received £11,662,119 in funding from the Department to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

Buildings: Insulation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an estimate of the number of buildings under 18 metres where a third-party is demanding an ESW1 certificate in contravention of Government requirements.

Christopher Pincher: The EWS1 process is not a statutory requirement. Government supports the independent report published on 21 June 2021, that EWS1 certificates should not be required for buildings below 18 metres in height. However, the decision of when or whether to ask for an EWS1 remains with the relevant mortgage lender. We continue to challenge industry on the use of the EWS1 process.

Permitted Development Rights

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact on high street businesses of the recent extensions of Permitted Development Rights.

Christopher Pincher: We aim to publish an Impact Assessment on the measures in due course and in accordance with the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.

Buildings: Insulation

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will prioritise the Government’s response to the review of the ban on the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings, which closed in May 2020.

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to extend the ban on the use combustible materials to buildings above 11 metres in height, as well as a range of high-risk buildings.

Christopher Pincher: In November 2018 the Government introduced a ban on combustible materials in and on the external walls in new blocks of flats above 18 meters in height, as well as hospitals, care premises, and student accommodation.In January 2020 we consulted on the proposal to extend the ban of the use of combustible materials in and on the external walls of buildings. We continue to review and analyse the numerous and detailed responses we have received and develop our proposal. We will publish a response to the consultation.

Housing: Energy

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on improving the energy efficiency of homes through retrofitting to help tackle the climate emergency.

Christopher Pincher: The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a number of issues.DLUHC and BEIS work closely together on improving the energy efficiency of existing homes. As well as keeping us on our path to net zero, this will reduce energy bills for households and make our homes healthier and more comfortable.On 19 October, the Government published its Net Zero Strategy and Heat and Building Strategy which set out the steps we will take to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and decarbonise heating, including the further investment we will make in our targeted support for households. The 2019 Conservative Manifesto committed to a £3.8 billion Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund over a 10-year period to improve the energy performance of social rented homes. As part of the 2021 Spending Review process, we announced that £800 million has been committed for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund over 2022/23 to 2024/25, and that a further £950 million has been committed for the Home Upgrade Grant over the same period.These strategies also set out how we will support households to move from fossil fuel heating to low carbon alternatives, such as heat pumps, including our new £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme providing £5,000 capital grants.

Scotland Office

Public Expenditure: Scotland

James Daly: What assessment he has made of the effect of the 2021 Budget and Spending Review on people and local communities in Scotland.

Mr Alister Jack: The Scottish Government will receive the biggest funding settlement since devolution began in 1998. An extra £4.6 billion a year in Barnett Consequentials on top of the block grant means a record £41 billion a year for the Scottish Government. So, there can be no excuses for underfunded public services in Scotland.

Politics and Government: Scotland

Peter Grant: What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Government's representation of (a) Scotland and (b) Scottish interests internationally.

Mr Alister Jack: The FCDO provides a range of services to all parts of the UK, such as promoting trade and investment, delivering security and providing consular services. UK policy in this area was set out earlier this year in the Integrated Review. My Department is committed to representing Scottish interests on the world stage as demonstrated by my ministerial colleague, Lord Offord, on his recent visit to Mumbai.

Regional Planning and Development: Scotland

Peter Gibson: What assessment he has made of the potential benefits of the Levelling Up Fund for Scotland.

Iain Stewart: The chancellor has announced £171,708,259 of UKG investment directly in Scotland under round 1 of the Levelling Up Fund.From the Inverness Zero Carbon Cultural Regeneration to improvement to the B714 in Ayrshire, these are projects championed by local areas which will make a real difference to communities.

Northern Ireland Office

Irish Language

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to introduce an Irish language Bill.

Conor Burns: It is disappointing that the Northern Ireland Executive has not progressed the package of identity, language and culture legislation that was carefully negotiated as part of the New Decade, New Approach agreement.This balanced package of legislation is not an 'Irish language bill’ as it will benefit everyone in Northern Ireland, including the Irish language and Ulster Scots communities, and culture and identity more widely.In the absence of progress from the Northern Ireland Executive, the Government is now taking the necessary steps to introduce the legislation.

Treasury

Inheritance Tax

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the revenue to the Exchequer from inheritance tax in the next five years.

Lucy Frazer: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) publishes its forecasts for receipts from Inheritance Tax (IHT) at each fiscal event in its ‘Economic and fiscal outlook’ publication. The most recent forecast was published alongside the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget, on 27 October 2021. The OBR’s forecast for IHT receipts received by HMRC is reproduced in the table below, for each of the next five full forecast years after the current year. The last two years of outturn receipts have also been included for comparison. BasisTax YearReceipts (£billions)Outturn2019-205.12020-215.4Forecast2021-226.02022-236.42023-246.52024-256.82025-267.22026-277.6Source: OBR Economic and fiscal outlook, Table 3.4: Current receipts: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-october-2021/.

Tax Avoidance

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential  merits of a further independent review of the Loan Charge since Lord Morse's 2019 Review.

Lucy Frazer: A comprehensive independent review of the Loan Charge has already taken place. In September 2019, the Government commissioned Lord Morse to lead this Review. There are no plans for a further review of the Loan Charge.Lord Morse’s report was published in December 2019 and concluded that it was right for the Government to collect the tax due, but also recommended changes to how the Loan Charge works.The Government accepted all but one of the Review’s 20 recommendations, which is estimated to benefit over 30,000 individuals, removing 11,000 from the Loan Charge entirely.These changes have improved how the Loan Charge operates, which ensures that individuals pay the right amount of tax and ensures fairness for all taxpayers and the wider public.

Non-domestic Rates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his plans are for consulting on reforms to business rates.

Lucy Frazer: The Business Rates Review concluded at Autumn Budget 2021 with the publication of the final report.The final report reaffirmed the importance of business rates for raising revenue for essential local services, introduced substantive interventions to the business rates system and announced a package of measures worth £7 billion over the next 5 years.

Customs

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of customs declarations that will be required for (a) exports from Great Britain to the EU; and (b) imports from Great Britain to the EU once full border controls have been implemented.

Lucy Frazer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer of 27 July 2021 to UIN 35879 which explains how such an assessment could not be made without disproportionate cost.The annual figure pertaining to 2021 declarations will be available in due course.

Health and Social Care Levy

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Health and Social Care Levy rise in National Insurance is an increase of 1.25 percentage points or 1.25 per cent; and what the equivalent percentage rise is in the amount take from a standard taxpayer.

Lucy Frazer: The Health and Social Care Levy is an increase of 1.25 percentage points in the main and additional rates of Class 1, 1a, 1b and 4 in 2022-23. From April 2023 onwards, the rates will reduce back to previous levels and there will be a separate 1.25 per cent charge on all earnings above the Primary Threshold subject to the same Classes of National Insurance Contributions (NICs). In the tax year 2022-23, a taxpayer earning the median income would be subject to 13.25 per cent in Class 1 NICs on earnings above the Primary Threshold. From April 2023 onwards they would be subject to 12 per cent in Class 1 NICs, plus 1.25 per cent on their earnings above the Primary Threshold.

Credit: Debts

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he made of the impact on credit scores (a) across different age groups, (b) in Feltham and Heston constituency and (c) England of the increase in debt from buy now, pay later products.

John Glen: HM Treasury does not hold information on the impact of Buy-Now Pay-Later product usage on credit scores. On 21 October, the Government published a consultation document outlining its proposed approach to the regulation of Buy-Now Pay-Later products. The consultation document can be found at the following link, including details on how to respond: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/regulation-of-buy-now-pay-later-consultation. The consultation closes on 6 January. Once the consultation has concluded, the Government will review responses and consider next steps.

Cider: Excise Duties

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a progressive duty system for small cider producers.

Helen Whately: As announced at Autumn Budget 2021, the Government will build on Small Brewers Relief to extend small producer reliefs, including to cidermakers. The technical details of our new small producer reliefs will be finalised through the alcohol duty review consultation process.

Countryside: Access

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent progress has been made by the Access to the Outdoors Commission, also known as the Agnew Review, chaired by Lord Agnew and commissioned by his Department; when the Agnes Review plans to publish its findings; and what steps the Government plans to take to deliver the quantum shift in public access to nature that the former Chancellor of the Exchequer tasked the Review with achieving.

Helen Whately: The pandemic has made the benefits of spending time outdoors in nature clearer than ever. The Spending Review is providing more than £30 million to improve public access to green spaces in support of health, wellbeing and the environment, including an expanded network of green routes for different users. In addition, SR21 commits £9 million to the new Levelling Up Parks Fund, creating over 100 new parks across the UK to improve access to parks in urban areas that are deprived of green space.

Carbon Emissions: Economic Situation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will set out a timeline for the completion of his Department's macroeconomic modelling of the benefits of the net zero transition.

Helen Whately: As set out in the recently published ‘Net Zero Review Final Report’, HM Treasury is committed to building its understanding of the impacts of the transition to net zero. This is an ongoing process that will need to evolve as the transition to net zero evolves. HM Treasury will continue to engage with experts in this area as it builds up analytical capacity and understanding. Different approaches will be better suited to answering different questions and a variety of analytical methods and tools will be needed to examine the issue fully. This will include drawing on the analysis of others, for example the Bank of England’s analysis building upon a subset of the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) scenarios.

Carbon Emissions: Taxation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the role of the tax system in achieving net zero.

Helen Whately: The government takes its environmental responsibilities seriously and has published the Net Zero Strategy on how the UK will deliver on its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The government has also published the Net Zero Review exploring the key issues and trade-offs as the UK decarbonises.

Science: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, what estimate he has made of spending on (a) science and (b) R&D tax reliefs as a proportion of GDP for each year from 2018 to the end of the current Parliament.

Helen Whately: The estimates on government Research & Development spending and tax reliefs as a proportion of GDP for each year from 2018 are as follows:%, GDP20182019/202020/212021/222022/232023/242024/25R&D Spending0.40.60.60.60.60.70.7R&D Tax Reliefs0.20.30.40.40.40.40.4Notes: Rounded to 1 decimal place Government Research & Development (R&D) spending and tax reliefs have been calculated using the Frascati definition, with estimates for R&D funded by government. OECD averages do not account for contributions to EU science programmes, UK figures reported consistent with OECD calculations. Source for definition. Gross domestic expenditure on research and development, UK: 2019Sources:  OBR's Economic and fiscal outlook – 27 October 2021OECD R&D tax expenditure and direct government funding of BERD: Indirect government support through R&D tax relief as a percentage of GDP (2018)OECD Main Science and Technology Indicators: Percentage of GERD performed by the Government Sector (2018)Gross domestic expenditure on research and development, UK: 2019,  Published BEIS R&D allocations UKRI budget allocations (2021/22)Autumn Budget and Spending Review (2021)HMRC Tax Relief estimates 2018-19 and 2019-20

Cider: Excise Duties

Alex Sobel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a progressive duty system for small cider producers.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the minimum juice content in HMRC's definition of cider from 35 per cent to 50 per cent for the purpose of taxation.

Helen Whately: As announced at Autumn Budget 2021, the Government will build on Small Brewers Relief to extend small producer reliefs, including to cidermakers. The technical details of our new small producer reliefs will be finalised through the alcohol duty review consultation process.The Government will explore the merits of increasing the minimum juice content through our alcohol duty review consultation.

Overseas Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what economic outcomes he requires to be met to restore the Overseas Development Assistance budget to 0.7 per cent of gross national income.

Mr Simon Clarke: In July the Chancellor set out the responsible fiscal circumstances under which the UK will make the return to spending 0.7% of its gross national income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA): when the independent Office for Budget Responsibility’s fiscal forecast confirms that, on a sustainable basis, the Government is not borrowing for day-to-day spending and underlying debt is falling. This is set out in further detail in the Chancellor’s written ministerial statement, here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-07-12/hcws172. The ODA fiscal tests are now forecast to be met in 2024-25. The government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely and, each year over the spending review period, will review and confirm, in accordance with the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015, whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast.

Tax Avoidance: Prosecutions

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many promoters and operators of schemes now subject to the Loan Charge have been prosecuted for promoting and operating those schemes to date.

Lucy Frazer: Promotion or operation of mass marketed tax avoidance schemes is not in and of itself a criminal offence. However, there are a range of offences which might be committed by those who promote tax avoidance schemes or advise on their use. On that basis, to date, while there have been no prosecutions of individuals related to schemes subject to the Loan Charge, a number of individuals are currently under criminal investigation by HMRC for offences linked to schemes subject to the Loan Charge. In addition to schemes subject to the Loan Charge, since 1 April 2016, more than 20 individuals have been convicted for offences relating to arrangements which have been promoted and marketed as tax avoidance, including offences related to disguised remuneration. These have resulted in over 100 years of custodial sentences, the majority of which relate to promoters. HMRC are committed to continuing to tackle promoters and operators of tax avoidance schemes. This includes challenging the entities and individuals who promote disguised remuneration loan schemes. Prosecutions are only one type of intervention available to HMRC where they identify concerns.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Channel Four Television

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2021 to Question 59963 on Channel Four Television, whether her Department has made an estimate of the annual value of the (a) intellectual property and (b) exports generated for independent producers by working with Channel 4.

Julia Lopez: The government has not decided to sell Channel 4, or how Channel 4 may be sold.We have consulted on the best ownership model to support Channel 4 into the future. Our public consultation closed on 14 September. The government's view on policy choices, including the publisher-broadcaster model, will be informed by the consultation responses, which we are still analysing.Whatever decision is made about Channel 4’s ownership model, any reforms will not compromise our commitment to the independent production sector or the wider creative economy.If we were to decide to proceed with a sale, as with the sale of any government asset, it would need to meet stringent scrutiny processes to ensure value for money is achieved for the taxpayer.

Channel Four Television: Privatisation

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2021 to Question 59963 on Channel 4, what estimate she has made of the transfer of value if Channel 4 moves from a publicly owned not-for-profit body to a privatised broadcaster if the publisher-broadcaster model is removed.

Julia Lopez: Channel 4 has played an important role in supporting independent production in the UK. The sector is now flourishing and increasingly less reliant on income from UK Public Service Broadcasters. Independent production has grown exponentially from an estimated worth of £850 million in 2003 to in excess of £3 billion in 2019, driven in particular by the boom in international revenues with 158% growth between 2014 and 2019. In 2014, international revenue accounted for 19% of total producer revenue, whereas in 2019 it accounted for 38%.We have consulted on the best ownership model to support Channel 4 for years to come. We are carefully considering the views and evidence we have received to inform the government’s policy-making and final decision. Whatever decision we make will not compromise this government’s commitment to the independent production sector.